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Friday, July 27, 2007

A TROPICAL METROPOLIS

The interplay of lines, curves, shapes and forms, as well as the mix of vivid colors and muted tones in this photograph may at first suggest a cityscape from a modern urban setting such as Makati. On the contrary, folks! This was taken in old Manila -- at Claro M. Recto Avenue and Evangelista Street. And those structures are the Isetann Mall and the new MRT station.

I wonder if perhaps, an effective way to brighten up our city is to convince the owners or administrators to paint with bright tropical colors the facades of their relatively sound but ageing, weather-beaten buildings as done in Miami's South Beach. Imagine the joyful impact such candy-colored buildings would have on the city's general populace.

20 Comments:

More colors and less energy consuming neon lights and high wattage light fixtures to brighten the city. One of the pioneer burger fastfood places changed its interior color from orange to yellow after it was discovered that customers were uncomfortable being couped up in an orange colored environment hence less customers going in to eat. When the interior color was replaced with a bright yellow, they had more cheerful customers coming and the orders of food grew much more!

This reminds me of a law professor whose house is painted like Isetann in this pic. He is a widower living alone as his children already have their respective families. He says it's his way of brightening up his days - to have bright colors splashed all around him.

When I first came back to Manila after a long absence, what stood out the most were the rows of drab buildings whose facades were made worse by the accumulated soot from pollution.

And then during the pedestrianization of Rizal Avenue, the buildings on both sides of the strip were repainted; those with bright colors truly enhanced the overall good mood of the area. What a difference these colors made!

That was then I started thinking that the city ought to consider encouraging property owners to use bright colors, and in return, they would receive tax incentives from the city for cooperating.

Bright colors lighten up that crowded area, its agood way of attracting attention as if telling everybody " Im still here, come & visit my place". I agree with the owners to paint their building in bright colors. It really stands out in that crowded place of C.M.Recto

I think Manila is already colourful, but you are right - it does need more colour in a lot of areas. The thing with being a tropical country (and quite polluted at that) is that a lick of paint semi-annually is necessary to keep the building facade neat and attractive. Your photo brings back memories of scorching afternoons in the heart of Manila.

A good example, Aura, is the Nicanor Reyes (formerly Morayta) strip. Property owners in the area have begun to repaint their weather-beaten buildings (most with bright colors) in lockstep with the FEU campus' restoration program.

Not sure who was responsible, but trees were even planted in the middle island of the street!

i love old Manila, studying at UST, old Manila used to be the 'in' place for us because it was the nearest and it was as colorful as now -- we love going around the real good Chinese eateries and the old bookstores. your photos invoke good memories that would need revisiting soon!

That's right, Dave! I've seen some pictures of those colorful Gawad Kalinga communities.

I think the Ayalas will be more aggressive in maintaining the glitzy Makati image, considering there are now a number of ageing buildings along Ayala Avenue alone; not to mention that many major firms have been migrating to the newer and even glitzier Taguig as of late.

There is also the other side of Makati that many may not acknowledge as much -- the so-called Binay's Makati -- with dilapitating structures that could use some sprucing up.

Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS: Best Photo Blog in 2007 and three Best Single Post awards in 2008.